


Dancing in Estobar Square

by thewolfatyourdoor



Category: Royal Pains
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 19:17:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7726552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewolfatyourdoor/pseuds/thewolfatyourdoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>“Sorry to interrupt, but – can I cut in?” </i> <br/><br/><i>Boris stepped away, and Marisa said, “You may,” with a smile. </i><br/><br/><i>Hank made himself meet Boris’s gaze squarely, trying to hide his nerves.  “Actually, I meant with you.” </i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Watching Boris and Marisa dance together, Hank realizes that even if he no longer has a chance, he can't just let Boris walk away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dancing in Estobar Square

**Author's Note:**

  * For [star_angels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/star_angels/gifts).



> So a while ago the lovely [star_angels](http://archiveofourown.org/users/star_angels/pseuds/star_angels) gifted a Royal Pains fic to me. I was (still am) immensely flattered, and luckily for me I had already started working on a fic for [a video edit](http://royalpainsandsuch.tumblr.com/post/146100886132/hank-tries-to-bid-marisa-and-boris-his-best-but) they posted on Tumblr. (It was supposed to be a quick one, but they just kept talking. :/) It's taken me way too long to finish it, but here you are, star_angels. This fic is dedicated to you, as a thank-you not only for Doctors and Drinks but also for being one of the few people who will rant about RP with me. I hope you enjoy it! <3

 

  
Hank watched Boris dance with Dr. Casseras, and the kiss he pressed to her cheek felt like a punch in the gut to Hank.

 

Evan’s impressed “woah” didn’t exactly help.  “Is Boris in a long-distance relationship?”

 

“Yeah,” Hank said reluctantly.  “With the woman trying to save his life.”  The words left a bitter taste in his mouth.  He’d tried to tell himself that his disapproval was solely because his personal and professional ethics prohibited doctor-patient relationships.  Watching them now, he had to admit that it was almost entirely jealousy.

 

“Huh.”  Evan interrupted his thoughts.  “I thought that was you.”

 

That _really_ caught Hank’s attention, and he looked at his brother with wide, startled eyes.  “How did you…?”

 

Evan’s jaw dropped.  “What, do you– ?  I was _joking_.”

 

Hank dropped his head into his hands.  “Damn it.”  He was never going to live this down.

 

“ _Seriously_ , Henry?  You – _Boris_?!”

 

“Evan, I swear if you make a big deal of this I will punch you.”

 

“How long has this been going on?” Evan demanded.

 

“There is _nothing_ going on.”

 

Evan considered that for a moment.  “Oh.  Does he know?”

 

Hank turned his head enough to glare at his brother.  “Of course not.  He’s my _patient_.  And who knows if he even likes men?”

 

Evan glanced meaningfully at the dancing couple.  “Doesn’t seem like the patient part matters to him.”

 

Hank wanted to say ‘maybe it matters to me’ but even as he thought it, he realized that maybe it didn’t anymore.  Or at least, not enough to stop him. 

 

Evan read his silence as reluctance.  “Oh come on, are you just gonna let her steal your man right in front of you?  Without ever even saying anything?”

 

Oh god, he was agreeing with Evan.  That was probably a terrible sign.  Hank took a steadying breath.  “Right.”  He got up, ignored Evan’s wolf whistle, and walked over to Boris and Marisa.

 

They glanced up as he drew nearer but kept dancing slowly.  Hank cleared his throat, fighting the urge to just turn and walk back to the bench.

 

“Sorry to interrupt, but – can I cut in?”

 

Boris leaned back enough to look at Marisa, and their unspoken conversation inspired another unreasonable flare of jealousy.

 

Boris stepped away, and Marisa said, “You may,” with a smile.

 

Hank made himself meet Boris’s gaze squarely, trying to hide his nerves.  “Actually, I meant with you.”

 

Boris raised his eyebrows, and for an awful moment Hank thought he would refuse – but then the corner of his mouth curved up in a small smile and he held out his hand.

 

Still a little worried that Boris might balk, Hank took his hand cautiously, but Boris smoothly drew him in as if he danced with men all the time.  Boris’s free hand settled at his waist, Hank’s landed on his shoulder, and the distance between them was perfectly polite – nothing like the closeness between Boris and Marisa. 

 

“You are enjoying your stay so far, I trust?”

 

“Almost in spite of myself,” Hank admitted.  “Listen, Boris –”

 

“My relationship with Marisa has raised some concerns with you,” Boris interrupted, turning them in a slow circle.

 

“I – yeah.”  Hank couldn’t quite keep the surprise from his face.  “Sorry, I didn’t think I was being so – obvious.”

 

Boris tilted his head slightly.  “Not obvious, no.  Particularly not to anyone who wasn’t paying close attention.”

 

“Thanks, I think,” Hank said, too distracted by the idea of Boris paying close attention to him to come up with a more coherent response.  What if Boris had somehow picked up on Hank’s feelings already?  Maybe the dancing with Marisa was meant to make it clear that he was unavailable or disinterested.

 

“But there is something else on your mind?”

 

Hank’s eyes snapped back to Boris’s.  “Since when are you a mind-reader?”

 

That earned him a small, amused smile.  “I doubt you would approach me in public solely to criticize my choice of dance partner.”

 

Hank took another deep breath, steeling himself.  “Actually, I am about to criticize your choice of dance partner in public.”

 

Boris’s eyebrows arched.  “Oh?”  He slid his hand more firmly onto Hank’s waist.  “Relax, Hank, I’m not going to bite your head off.”

 

It was only once he mentioned it that Hank realized how tensely he was holding his back and shoulders.  He tried to relax and move with the music.  “Okay.”  Best to just say it and get it over with.  “Okay, the thing is, I don’t want you dancing with Marisa because I think I might be a little bit in love with you.  Maybe more than a little bit.  And if you love her then you love her and that’s fine, really, but I couldn’t just let you go without saying anything.”

 

Boris stared at him for a moment, but then his mouth curved into a broad grin that lit up his entire face.  Hank had never seen him look so openly happy.  If he’d had any doubts about his own feelings, that grin would have banished them.  Boris drew him closer, sliding his hand to the small of Hank’s back, and he dipped his head so that his temple brushed Hank’s.

 

It sent a shiver through Hank, and he thought dizzily that it probably wasn’t medically advisable for someone’s heart rate to increase so much so quickly.

 

“Do you think I often invite strangers to live on my property?”  Boris’s voice was a low rumble that went straight to the pit of Hank’s stomach.  “Do you think I bring every doctor I see into my home, my bank?  Do you think I share my family history with all of them?  Do you think” – and his voice took on a lighter, teasing tone – “that I would tolerate Evan R. Lawson for anything so easily available as medical care?”

 

“Um.”  Hank’s thoughts raced as he tried to review the summer in light of this new information.  “I see your point about Evan.”

 

Actually, teasing aside, that was the most convincing thing Boris had said.  Hank didn’t have any trouble imagining Boris offering a job to someone at the drop of a hat, and he certainly hoped that he wasn’t the first doctor to see Boris’s medical history, but Evan had impersonated a member of Boris’s family to crash his party, snooped around Shadow Pond, and shown up unexpectedly in Cuba – all of which Boris had been incredibly lenient about, given what a private man he was.

 

“Oh my god.  You might actually –”  Hank hesitated.  'Like me' seemed a little too junior high.

 

Boris chuckled and raised his head to look at Hank properly, smiling.  “I assure you, I do.”

 

Hank frowned slightly, not quite willing to get carried away just yet.  “But – Marisa?”

 

“Yes, I’ve enjoyed catching up with her.  I was not a good correspondent while we were apart.”  His smile started to look a bit smug around the edges.  “In fact, she had very good news to share.”

 

“Oh?” Hank said warily.

 

“Ja, her fiancé accepted her proposal last month and they plan to marry next fall.”  Boris was full-on smirking now.  “I hope you’ll accompany me to the wedding, Hank.”

 

“You – She –”  Hank planted his feet and looked around for Marisa, only to find her grinning at them and looking entirely too pleased with herself.  He went back to staring at Boris, trying to decide if he was upset about this or not.  “Were you _trying_ to make me jealous?”

 

“May we continue dancing?  I was enjoying it very much.”  He squeezed Hank’s hand entreatingly.  Hank rolled his eyes but he did start to move again, following Boris’s lead.  “As to your question,” Boris went on, “I did not believe there was any reason why you would be jealous, however I might wish otherwise.  It was Marisa who convinced me.”

 

“Wait, you told her you – I mean, how you feel about me?”

 

Boris shrugged.  “Not in so many words, but she knows me well.  As she pointed out today, there is no medical need for you to be here when her people can run the tests and you could review the clinical trial by email.”

 

Hank considered that for a moment.  “So you flew me out to Cuba just because, what, you wanted to see me?”

 

“Yes,” said Boris simply.

 

“Oh.”

 

“I am genuinely interested in your evaluation of Marisa’s trial, of course.  You are one of the most competent and compassionate doctors I’ve ever met, and I would value your professional opinion regardless of my personal feelings.” 

 

“But if you didn’t think I –” 

 

“Ja, the credit for that goes to Marisa.  She said you came to see her and she thought there was a chance I was not alone in my feelings.” 

 

Hank blinked.  “What did I say to her?” 

 

“I believe it wasn’t what you said, but how protective you were when you said it.”  Boris looked rather smug again.  “The dancing was her idea as well, and now I owe her a _very_ nice dinner.” 

 

Hank spent another moment trying to decide if he was going to be irritated about being manipulated like this, but in the end he just shook his head and laughed.  “I guess I can’t complain too much. I was expecting the best case scenario would be you letting me down gently.” 

 

Boris gave him that open, happy grin again.  “I assure you, I have no intention of letting you down in any fashion.”  He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Hank’s cheek, then another at the corner of his jaw.

 

When he felt Boris start to shift away, Hank turned his head enough to catch Boris’s lips in a proper kiss.  Boris’s response was immediate and heated, and Hank met it with equal fervor.  The entire square faded away.

 

When Hank once again became aware of more than Boris – his lips and tongue, his hands, the warmth of his body pressing against Hank’s – he realized they had stopped dancing at the edge of the crowd and that he was pretty much plastered against Boris with one arm looped around his neck, keeping him close.  A sudden attack of self-consciousness had him easing back and glancing around, and his gaze landed on Marisa again – with Evan sitting next to her.

 

“Oh, damn,” Hank muttered, and he sensed Boris shifting his attention, felt him tense slightly.

 

“Ah.  Yes, that could be dangerous.”

 

Evan was looking very deer-in-the-headlights as he gaped at them, but Marisa started applauding as soon as they looked over.

 

“She is going to be insufferable,” Boris said, sounding quite happy about it.  

 

“So is Evan,” Hank agreed, though he was decidedly less pleased.  Fingers on his jaw coaxed him back to face Boris, who looked concerned.

 

“He will not trouble you over this?”

 

And yeah, that was definitely concern but there was also a protective note in his voice that made Hank feel both unexpectedly warm and worried for Evan’s continued health.

 

“No,” he said immediately.  “No, he won’t.  Evan has only ever seen me date women, even though he knows I’m, uh, interested in men too.  So he’ll just take a while to get used to it and he’ll be teasing me nonstop the whole time.”

 

Boris relaxed a bit at that, one corner of his mouth tilting up.  “I see.  Simply a brother being a brother.”

 

“Exactly,” Hank said.  And knowing that Evan and Marisa were watching them, he didn’t want to put on more of a show for them.  “Come on.  Let’s stop taking up space on the dance floor and face the music.”

 

“Very well.”

 

It was more difficult than Hank had expected to move away from Boris.  He made himself relax his arms and step back, but to his surprise, Boris kept ahold of Hank’s hand and tucked it in the crook of his elbow.  Hank felt a bit ridiculous, but also kind of touched, so he just went with it.

 

“What, are we Victorian ladies now?” Evan asked as soon as they were close enough to hear.

 

“Better find your corset,” Hank shot back.

 

“Funny, I didn’t think to pack it for a quick trip to the city.”

 

“The comfort of my guests is paramount,” Boris interjected, sounding very grave.  “Should you require a corset, one shall of course be provided for you.”

 

There was a slight pause.  “I can’t tell if you’re making a joke or a threat,” Evan said. 

 

Boris smiled.  “Whichever helps you to sleep better at night, Mr. Lawson.”

 

Hank nudged him in the ribs.  “You’re going to have to get used to calling him Evan now.”

 

“If you insist.”

 

“Well, _I_ insist on going to La Guarida for dinner,” said Marisa, almost gleeful.  She made a very different picture from the brusque doctor Hank had met that afternoon.

 

“I do owe you,” Boris admitted.  “I hope you would not be opposed if I brought a guest along.”

 

“I would be more disappointed if you didn’t,” she said.

 

“Let me guess,” said Evan, resigned.  “This will be another ‘show Mr. Lawson to his room’ moment.”

 

“Yes,” Hank and Boris said in unison, then grinned at each other.

 

“Oh my god, you guys are going to be totally sickening, I can tell.  That’s just great.”

 

“I think it’s sweet,” Marisa declared.  

 

“I think the square will be closed soon,” said Boris firmly, and Hank could only be grateful for the subject change.  He was prepared to endure Evan’s teasing, but his relationship with Boris (and there were four words he never thought he’d be able to put together!) was still much too new for him to be comfortable with other people commenting on it.

 

“And I should be on my way home.”  Marisa leaned up to kiss Boris’s cheek.  “Thank you again for the supplies.”

 

Boris nodded once.  “ _De nada_.”

 

“And Dr. Lawson,” Marisa continued, smiling.  “It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”

 

Hank grinned back.  “Likewise.”

 

“I’m looking forward to your thoughts on our trial,” she said, and then – as she had with Boris – brushed a quick kiss to Hank’s cheek.  And then, very quietly, she added, “If you do anything to hurt him, I will find out and _swim_ to New York and explain your mistake to you.”  She stepped back with a smile, wished them all a good night, and left.

 

“What did she say?” Evan asked immediately.

 

“That she thinks my shirt is very flattering.”

 

Boris’s quiet snort communicated his disbelief, but he said, “She is not wrong.  Come – it’s time for us to return to the hacienda.”

 

Evan started talking about his plans for tomorrow and his lost opportunity with the Canadian tourist as they left.  Boris started to drop his arm, but Hank tightened his grip on his elbow.  He’d decided he liked the arm-in-arm thing after all, regardless of how old-fashioned it seemed.  Boris glanced at him in mild surprise, eyebrows raised questioningly.  Hank merely smiled, letting all of his still-amazed happiness at the night’s events shine through.  Boris’s entire expression softened, his gaze so tender and affectionate that Hank’s heart skipped a couple beats. 

 

“Just so it’s entirely clear,” Boris said quietly, “I am maybe more than a little in love with you also.”

 

Hank grinned at him, feeling like Boris’s solid warmth anchored him to earth when he might otherwise have floated away from sheer giddiness.  They would have to figure out the doctor-patient thing, sure, and there was still the clinical trial, but Hank decided to worry about that later.  He shifted a little closer, and Boris covered Hank’s hand with his free one and kept it there all the way to the car.


End file.
